It would take something really dramatic to change our education system. Imagine the changes we would have to make for all of our kids to gain skills and knowledge centered on their interests without being bullied, locked down, or bored. Imagine families suddenly being asked to stay together for weeks while finishing the school year. We would really find out what is working toward the dream of great education and what isn’t. And we might just begin a golden age of education!
I was just sorting through old files and found my school report cards from first grade onward--they were awful! Why did I do so poorly? From this vantage point-having homeschooled my two successful now-college kids for 15 years, getting a Master’s degree and running my own professional business--I can see that there were big negatives in my public schooling that kept me and others from excelling.
Let me stop right here and say, God bless teachers! I learned so much about what to do and not do in my own teaching from studying each of them for the 20 years I was a student. I love that they give their lives and talents to help kids learn. In any institution it is very difficult to honor and guide each person in your class with all of the pressures teachers face, i. e. allotted time, common core, being evaluated by your student’s annual test scores driving you to “teach to the test.”
Homeschooling solves many of these negatives. It supplies flexible individualized study, more time together to explore subjects, more time to solve relationship issues, lots of friends, lots of resources, and freedom to make the best choices for your family.
I’m advising a couple with 5th and 6th graders who are moving from private school to homeschooling. When our EAGLE Mom Squad (a group of local experienced homeschooling moms and teens) suggested their top resources in each subject, we came up with a jaw-dropping list of high-quality, amazingly entertaining, efficient resources that will become centers of family fun and bonding as they explore them together.
On the other hand, public and private schools give homeschoolers opportunities only available through larger institutions: highly competitive organized sports, band, drama, clubs, and standardized testing, for example. Could we possibly create hybrid schooling using the best of both worlds?
Kids are curious; they learn from everything. Our world now has loads of information attainable from a variety of venues. As adults, these kids will need to use their unique qualities to serve others in their area of interest. In our hybrid model they’ll be prepared to do what they value because they’ve pursued their curiosity.
And so we begin our journey into the Golden Age of Education, where kids can focus on their interests through the highest-quality resources available through the internet, library, or Amazon. They can enjoy a hybrid schooling that makes use of the best learning spaces their parents can find as they choose group activities, hired tutors, public/private school organized extracurricular activities and resources to create the very best for their children. From adversity comes opportunity!
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